This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7xc2xa7119 and/or 365 to 00-7119 filed in Korea on Feb. 15, 2000; the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spacer using a cross structure for maintaining the interval between two panels, and a large flat panel display adopting the spacer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A spacer supports a pressure put on a front substrate and a rear substrate of a flat panel display by the pressure difference between the inside of a vacuum space formed by two panels and the outside thereof due to the vacuum degree of the vacuum space. Also, a spacer maintains the interval between the front substrate and the rear substrate to be constant.
A spacer must have an insulation property since they contact a front substrate and a rear substrate to maintain the interval between the front substrate and the rear substrate, and also have a strength great enough to endure the pressure difference between the inside and outside of a panel caused depending on the vacuum degree of the inside of the panel. In order to satisfy the above-mentioned requirements, various materials such as ceramic, glass and the like can be used as a spacer material. Due to active research in display technology there has been a gradual increase in interest in the enlargement of panels. In relation to the enlargement of panels, the necessity of spacers, which can satisfy a high aspect ratio while sufficiently supporting a large panel, increases. In particular, with an increase in concern about the entire field of a display device technique, there is also an increasing trend toward the enlargement of panels of electric field emission display devices. In order to achieve enlargement of electric field emission display devices, there are many essential prerequisites. Among them, spacers must satisfy a prerequisite that they must not appear on a screen while sufficiently supporting a large panel.
FIG. 1 shows the structure of a conventional trench-type spacer. The trench-type spacer has a thickness of 70 xcexcm and a height of 1100 xcexcm for a panel of about 5 inches. When the trench-type spacer is installed between two panels, it is not bent, so it can be formed so as not to appear on the screen. However, when a spacer having the above-described existing specification is formed within the large panel, it may be bent by a high aspect ratio of the spacer, or bent or broken by the influence of the flow of a gas during an exhaust process after the space is formed. Thus, a fluorescent body on an anode is damaged. In order to solve this problem, the spacer must be thick. However, the thickness of the spacer must be reduced or below 70 xcexcm since the spacer is required to have a high aspect ratio. When an existing spacer incorporates with a metal mesh which is used to prevent arcing, it fails to sufficiently endure the distortion of the mesh, so that it is easily broken. Hence, many problem are caused when spacers having an existing specification are applied to large panels. In elation to this fact, a new spacer, which can combine with mesh with a sufficient degree of robustness, and is not shown on a screen by reducing portions which contact the screen, is required in order to manufacture a large display panel.
To solve the above problems, an objective of the present invention is to provide a cross-rib spacer in which a cross structure and a rib structure or a trapezoid rib structure are coupled to a bar, and which sufficiently supports large panels and greatly reduces portions that contact a screen.
To solve the above problems, another objective of the present invention is to provide a flat panel display device adopting a spacer using a cross structure in which a cross structure and a rib structure or a trapezoid rib structure are mixed, the spacer made of ceramic or glass as in the prior art and having a sufficient degree of robustness by increasing a panel supporting area, so that the spacer is not easily bent or broken, and portions appearing on the screen are reduced, and the spacer capable of being treated as a single body by being coupled to a metal mesh.
To achieve the first objective, the present invention provides a spacer using a cross structure, including: a cross structure; a rib structure incorporated with the cross structure to constitute a supporter; and a bar structure for connecting the supporter comprised of the cross structure and the rib structure in alignment.
The cross structure, the rib structure and the bar structure are formed of glass or ceramic. Preferably, the supporter comprised of the cross structure and the rib structure are incorporated with a mesh without the bar structure.
Also, a trapezoid structure instead of the rib structure is combined with the cross structure to constitute a supporter. Here, it is preferable that the supporter comprised of the cross structure and the trapezoid structure are incorporated with a mesh without the bar structure.
To achieve the second objective, the present invention provides a flat panel display device adopting a spacer using a cross structure, the flat panel display device including a front substrate on which anode stripes and a fluorescent material are formed, and a rear substrate on which cathode stripes are formed in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the anode stripes are formed, wherein the spacer using a cross structure includes: a cross structure; a rib structure incorporated with the cross structure to constitute a supporter; and a bar structure for connecting the supporter comprised of the cross structure and the rib structure in alignment, and wherein the spacer using a cross structure is installed so that the rib structure contacts the front substrate and the cross structure contacts the rear substrate.
Here, it is preferable that the cross structure, the rib structure and the bar structure are formed of glass or ceramic. Preferably, the supporter comprised of the cross structure and the rib structure are incorporated with a mesh without the bar structure.
Also, a trapezoid structure instead of the rib structure is combined with the cross structure to constitute a supporter. Here, it is preferable that the supporter comprised of the cross structure and the trapezoid structure are incorporated with a mesh without the bar structure.
The spacer using the cross structure is aligned over a spacer fixing frame formed on the edge of the rear substrate, and fixed to the spacer fixing frame by a paste. A side glass bar made of frit glass is inserted on the outer sidewall of the spacer fixing frame between the front substrate and the rear substrate, so that the front substrate and the rear substrate are packaged.